Guide to skiing France

The French Alps offer world-famous skiing, along with the luxury lifestyle you dream of. Picture huge ski terrain – the biggest in the world, stunning Alps, fabulous French cuisine served with a view, and lively après ski. The French Alps are famed for vast ski slopes and mountain villages – ranging from historic and charming, to modern.

With over 250 French ski resorts, there are many mountains, ski areas, ski villages, to choose from. We’re here to guide you to the best skiing, modern ski lifts, the prettiest authentic alpine villages with the best cuisine, luxury ski hotels and après ski offerings.

On mountain lunches in France are legendary, picture yourself stopping in a cozy wood chalet for a coffee and pastry. Lunching on a sun terrace on farm fresh beef, local cheese and sipping the perfect wine pairing is sublime, with the snow capped Alps peaks as your accompaniment. The French may have invented “après ski” – the fun has just begun when the ski lifts stop. Have an Aperol spritz and listen to live music, dance in your ski boots or just relax and watch the scene and the scenery. Ski villages in France offer everything from chic shopping to local ski shops and artisan boutiques, fine French dining and five-star luxury mountain hotels, but also basic affordable apartments, to round out your ski vacation in France. See Reasons why you should ski France:

Ski resort Les Trois Vallées has two beautiful alpine villages of Courchevel 1850 with the best luxury ski hotels and historic Meribel, while Val Thorens is not as attractive – but higest elevation at over 10,000. You can ski them all, Les Trois Vallées is all interconnected as the largest ski resort in the world with 370 miles of skiing, 160 lifts connecting 8 ski areas, akin to Vail, Park City and Whistler combined.

Similarly Val D’Isère is an enchanting medieval alpine village but neighboring connected Tignes has ugly mid-century architecture – the skiing between both is amazing high elevation adventure, and the apres ski up on the mountain at Folie Douce is incredible! Val D’Isère’s terrain is challenging and amazing. Tignes has vast off-piste terrain and super scenic skiing on a glacier. Combined “Espace Killy” named for French racer Jean Claude Killy, has 300 kilometers of skiing and 76 lifts!

Everyone knows (and goes to) Chamonix Mont Blanc, the highest at 15,780′, but we seasoned skiers and travel journalists know nearby Megeve has great slopes, sunny, with beautiful on mountain chalet dining, and a delightful ancient village.

Discovering French ski resorts few have heard of is our passion. We love Val Cenis in the stunning Haute Maurienne valley, this Alps region is as authentic as it gets. Val Ceni sis a huge ski resort, with modern lifts and great on-mountain dining, even a glacial lake at the summit and views of Italy. The ski terrain connects three towns, we like staying in Lanslelbourg in the heart of the skiing at the lovely slopeside Saint Charles Hotel and Spa. This Haute Maurienne valley is home to more wonderful but undiscovered big mountain ski areas Bonneval sur Arc, Valfrejus and La Norma, excellent nordic skiing and dog sledding as well.

Serre Chevalier near the famous French medieval village of Briancon is a gem for skiers. Its a big ski area, over 9,000′ elevation, with amazing scenery of the Haute French Alps. Modern lifts whisk you about Serre Chevalier’s vast ski terrain, 59 lifts and 250-kilometers of prepared trails. An array of delightful mountain huts and chalets await you for lunch. The historic village of Saint Chaffery, also called Chantemerle, is a great place to stay with a small pedestrian square, fun shops and dining, and you are steps to the gondola and ski for miles, days, on trails or off-piste!

The French Swiss Portes Du Soleil – the gateway to the sun – connects a dozen ski villages for miles of “international” alpine skiing. With so many chalets to ski to for a cappuccino, aperitif or lunch, its fun to just ski around this vast region in the Rhone Alps famed for its wine & cheese, yes please. As travel experts, we know staying in Les Crosets on the Swiss side, or even quieter Champoussin, is more traditional with prettier architecture than busy banal Avoriaz, Chatel, or Torgon. Portes du Soleil is in the gorgeous Valais Region, between Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc.

Portes Du Soleil is a vast ski resort region that connects the French with the Swiss Alps, a total of 12 villages, half in France and half in Switzerland, in the gorgeous Valais Region, part of the wine and cheese rich Rhone River Valley, between Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc. Portes Du Soleil – the gateway to the sun – includes popular French ski resorts of Avoriaz, Châtel, La Chapelle, Morzine and Les Gets.

A France ski vacation should be on your bucket list, and a tour of the French wine region in fall.